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NEWS: Ontario NDP criticizes CETA impact on public water

An Ontario NDP media release issued yesterday states that, “Ontario NDP Environment Critic Peter Tabuns is urging the McGuinty government to protect Ontarians’ access to water by speaking out against the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. …Tabuns welcomed a new report from the Council of Canadians and CUPE outlining the dangers of the CETA agreement.”

“’This international trade agreement would threaten access to affordable, clean water by locking municipalities into private water contracts and preventing governments from regulating private water companies,’ said Tabuns. ‘Now is the time for the Premier to speak out against the municipal provisions in CETA. Our water must be kept in public hands. The lessons of water privatization around the world are clear – higher water rates and poorer service,’ said Tabuns. ‘The last thing Ontario families who are struggling to pay hydro and gas bills need is a spike in their water costs.’”

“Recently, Ontario New Democrats stood up for affordable, public water by successfully encouraging the McGuinty government to amend its Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act to state that the bill is not intended to privatize water in the province.”

“CETA negotiations are set to continue in January.”

The NDP media release appears in the community newspaper Northumberland View at http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&func=display&sid=5748.

Our report – Public Water for Sale – can be read at http://canadians.org/trade/documents/CETA/water-report-1210.pdf.